Quinque Elementum
by WickedGame
Summary: Five boys are brought together to protect a Princess and their Realm. When her life is threatened they go into hiding and find out more about each other than they ever thought possible. 12, 34, 5M, RD, 69, maybe other pairings. AU.
1. Prologue

Title: Quinque Elementum

Ch: Pro?

Author: WickedGame

Category: Fantasy, AU, Romance, Act/Adv, Drama

Pairings: 1x2x1 (or 12 depending on where ya are), 3x4x3 (or 34 depending on where ya are), 5xM, RxD, 6x9

Overall Warnings: Yaoi, yuri, foul language, some bastardized Latin. Specific warnings given every chapter when needed.

Notes: Written for Link Worshiper's "The Colour and the Shape" Contest originally, but I took myself out of the race due to stress. Now it is just dedicated to Link Worshiper, whose philosophies have made me a better writer indeed. She is also the first person with their own website to ever archive my work, and for that I am very grateful.

Disclaimers: I do not own Gundam Wing. And I must give credit to the video game Secret of Mana for the names of almost all my provinces. Any additional disclaimers to be posted on a per chapter basis.

_**Cast Of Characters**_

Queen Amelia – Ruler of the Realm of Evernight

Prince Gustaf – Husband to Queen Amelia

Princess Relena – Heir to the Realm of Evernight

Prince Treize – Relena's uncle and Amelia's brother

Priestess Meiran – Sorceress and lady-in-waiting for Relena

Lady Dorothy – Relena's other lady-in-waiting

Lord Zechs – a wizard from Lumina Province

Lady Lucrezia – a sorceress and Zech's wife

The Elemental Guardians

Quatre – Guardian of Spirit, from the Lumina Province

Wufei – Guardian of Earth, from the Terra Province

Trowa – Guardian of Air, from the Sylphid Province

Heero – Guardian of Fire, from the Salamando Province

Duo – Guardian of Water, from the Undine Province

_**History of Evernight**_

No one remembers how or when it began. No one is left from that time. But what we do know is that our realm was woven from moonbeams and starlight, and all with the blessing of the Lady and the Lord. They formed it themselves, just to house their greatest creations, us.

It became clear to us after a short amount of time that we needed to have many things: a system of government, laws, a form of giving and getting goods, and various other things that come along with being human. Our ancestors set about forming a government first. They decided that since the Lady is the giver of all things that our ruler should be a female. This also determined that our females would always be the dominant gender in our world, since they held more power than us anyways. The scholars thought hard and long on it and determined that she would be called Queen. There would never be someone equivalent to her. Her husband, if she chose one, would always be Prince.

From there the hierarchy has an order of sorts: there is a Princess: one Princess born to every Queen. The Lady and Lord made it so the Queen always gave birth to a Princess first. The Princess is given from the time she is born until her eighteenth birthday to learn to be Queen. On her eighteenth birthday the Queen passes on her crown and her office and retires to advise her daughter until her passing. We have always been the kind of people to welcome change, and those eighteen years of rule grant us that.

The Queen does not have to choose a husband. She may choose a female to wed, or she may choose to not wed anyone. In the case that she chooses a female to love, the Queen may hold trials to choose her successor. There is also a vote to help the Queen know the will of the Realm, but she does not have to choose by the will of the people.

From there the hierarchy follows a pattern that always puts the female first: Priestesses and Priests always were under the Princesses and Princes. Next are the Ladies and Lords. The lowest title in our Realm is that of Goodman. All Ladies possess some sort of power, even if they are only a domestic type of witch. A Goodman is a male of our Realm that does not possess any magical power at all. The person who rules each province is always a Lady, usually accompanied by her Lord.

As with all things there is trial and error. You can see that, yes? The way our system was designed had a flaw. Many people wished to be chosen by the Queen to rule the Realm for a myriad of reasons. This made the Princess a prime target for assassination and for having her power broken by acts such as rape. So the Priests and Priestesses of the Realm came together and performed rites that no one even remembers now.

The power that gathered in their circle was said to be cone-shaped, and it reached to the very sky. They chanted and danced and made love and released it all with pleas to the Lady and the Lord for a solution to their problem. For a week they waited and did their versions of praying until the Lady and Lord granted them the power to cast a very complex spell…

Five boys.

Five powers.

As the Lady and the Lord will it, so mote it be.


	2. Luck Of The Draw

Title: Quinque Elementum 1?

Author: WickedGame

See prologue for archiving info, disclaimers, pairings and rating.

Notes: Beta read by Adaina.

_**Chapter One – Luck of the Draw**_

Princess Relena stood in front of her mother's throne, wearing sapphire satin and waiting for her Guardians. They would each enter from the door that was accorded to their element, as tradition dictated. She was prim, she was proper, and she was trying to be every inch the Princess even though her heels were killing her feet.

Queen Amelia and Prince Gustaf looked down on their daughter with pride. The whole Realm had been looking forward to Relena's birthday. Her birthday party had been held earlier in the day; and now, as the third moon hung in the sky she would see her Guardians, the ones Destiny had decided to place her trust in.

The seneschal, Lord Pagan, stood next to Relena. He was getting on in age, and Relena was expected to replace him after her coronation in three years. He deserved a nice retirement.

At fifteen, Relena was already an impressive girl to look at and to listen to. Her honey-blonde hair was coiled on top of her oval face. Baby blue eyes were sharp and comprehending. Her mother and father had raised her well for the sake of the Realm.

"Very well Pagan, bring them in," Queen Amelia told her trusted friend. Pagan cleared his voice and announced them.

"Priest Quatre, the Guardian of Spirit, please come forth," Pagan announced. The door with a silver pentagram on it opened, and out stepped a young man with pale blond hair. His aquamarine eyes were fixed on the Princess as he stepped forward. His uniform was in accordance with what had been approved by Relena: heavy black boots, black utility pants that were made of a sturdy material, a black, short-sleeved shirt with a silver pentagram on the front, and a black coat that covered the Guardian from neck to ankle. Fingerless black leather gloves covered his hands with good reason. He walked with authority and power in his step, and he stopped before Relena to kneel, as protocol dictated.

"Priest Duo, the Guardian of Water, please come forth," Pagan's voice sounded unsure. Guardian Duo already had a reputation. He had caused his trainers a number of problems. He had escaped from them three times, and there was no lock he could not get himself out of. Relena felt some apprehension at his presence, but she knew that he was harmless. His pentagram was as blue as the waters of his homeland. He waltzed down the aisle like he didn't have a care in the world and he cheekily grinned at both Relena and Quatre as he kneeled gracefully.

"Priest Heero, the Guardian of Fire, please come forth," Pagan stated. Relena was startled to find that this young man was extremely attractive. This one she had also heard a lot about. He was rumored to be almost perfect in his spell executions, and was known to be extremely strong physically. If she had been interested in men she might have fancied him. Princesses had taken up with their Guardians before after all. But this Heero was achingly beautiful, with deep blue eyes and hair that looked like he had just gotten out of bed. The pentagram on his chest was bright red, and the black looked wonderful against his lightly bronzed skin.

"Priest Wufei, the Guardian of Earth, please come forth," Pagan sounded a little tired. But the young man who showed up in the doorway was anything but tired. He was wound tight, and he took in all his surroundings as he walked down to the Princess. His hair was deep ebony, and his eyes were a dark brown. Relena admired his obvious strength.

"Priest Trowa, the Guardian of Air, please come forth," Relena watched as a tall man with hair the shade of cinnamon came forth from his door. The pentagram on his shirt was yellow, bright like the sun. The man wearing the shirt, however, did not look like he was having any kind of fun. Rather, he looked like he wished he could get out of here as soon as possible. Relena couldn't have agreed with him more.

"Rise, Guardians mine. I wish to see you and speak with you," Relena commanded gently. They all rose and looked her in the eye.

"Today is the day we begin our journey together. I cannot guarantee it will be safe. I cannot guarantee it will be fun. But I pledge to you that I will try my utmost to live up to the ideal of being Queen of Evernight. I love this Realm and everything about her. Each one of you epitomizes the element for which you were trained. We are each individuals, and together we form what must be a perfect circle of protection for this Realm. For now, retire to your rooms. You each have your own room on my floor. I will see you all at dinner, and I hope that we will all manage to get along just fine."

As Relena turned to leave she saw the Guardians all look curiously at one another.

"Your hair is unacceptable," Heero blurted out to Duo. The others all suddenly noticed that the grinning Guardian of Water owned a three-foot long braid that was the same shade as the fallen leaves of the Skybright Forest.

"You ain't touching my god damned hair!" Duo growled reflexively, holding onto his braid like it was all he owned.

"You have to sleep sometime," Wufei smirked. Duo narrowed his gaze at the Guardian of Earth and then left the room.

"We're off to a great start," the Guardian of Spirit said to the Guardian of Air. Said Guardian raised his visible eyebrow and nodded.

&&&

Duo quickly unpacked the minor amount of things he had brought along with him to the castle. His clothing, shoes, and very few trinkets swam in the room, looking like sparse decorations in a place that should be very homey.

He was still stinging from the comments about his hair. His hair was all he had been allowed to take when the other Priests had taken him away from Solo.

"Solo…" Duo whispered, feeling a chill run through him at the memory of his dead adopted brother.

Solo had found him at the edge of the water in Lacuna Creek. Solo told him later than he was still covered in the afterbirth when he had found him. He told Duo that he had brought him back to live with his parents until they could find Duo his own home but that Duo had proved to be such a sweet child that his parents had decided to keep him. Duo had ended up calling them 'Mom' and 'Dad'.

But when Duo was eight and Solo was fifteen something tragic happened. They had gone out picking berries and had left their parents at home. When they came home they found the whole village standing outside their burnt home. Helen and Richard were dead inside. No one ever figured out how the fire started or how the two of them slept through it, but the fact of the matter was that Solo and Duo were orphans and had no home anymore.

They survived on the kindness of the villagers, but were left to mostly fend for themselves. And when Duo hit the age of ten Solo gladly took him to see the Priests. Anywhere other than the village was better for his baby brother. Duo wished for nothing more than to stay with Solo, but the Lord and the Lady had other ideas.

Duo had warily and reluctantly approached the altar and had drunk the potion the Priests offered to him. When he did, a sharp tingle went through him, almost like his whole body had fallen asleep. Then a sharp pain shot throughout his lower back. He held his breath until the pain passed and when it did he had the mark on his lower back. A pentagram was etched into his skin, black like a tattoo and scarred like a brand. Solo had been sad but grateful that there was something more out there for Duo than being stuck in their village.

Duo and Solo had shared a tearful goodbye, and then Duo had proceeded to be a pain in the ass to his instructors. He had run away three times, each time being caught sooner than he would have liked. They tried to get him to cut his long hair and he swore that he would kill them if they tried. They tried to get him to conform to what they wanted but he had always gone his own way.

Luckily he was more proficient than they could have ever hoped. Even though the Guardians were the most adept at their element out of all others the Priests had been surprised when he had created a waterspout after only a month of tutoring. They had declared him a prodigy and had kept throwing more and more difficult spells and manipulations at him. By the time his training was finished it was known that he was as close to a master as any of them had been.

And now here he was, faced with four other guys who all thought they were just as talented as he was. For the rest of his life he would be stuck with the Princess (who was pretty) and these four guys (who were all nice looking even if they had threatened to hack off his braid in his sleep).

"Especially Mister Fire Guardian." Duo murmured as he sat down on his firm mattress. Now that one was just about too nice to look at.

He would have to be careful and not mix business with pleasure.

&&&

A knock on Duo's door woke him from a short nap. He smoothed his braid and made sure his clothing was intact as he walked toward the door. He paused before opening it and placed his hand on the wood.

"Who is it?" he asked calmly. The ready stance he had adopted belied that calmness.

"I'm sorry, but it's Quatre. Could I come in?"

Duo lost the ready stance and opened the door. "What can I do you for?"

The blonde Guardian walked into the room with a friendly smile. "I got kind of bored sitting all alone in my room, so I thought I would come around and introduce myself."

"Was I your first stop?" Duo asked, plopping down in an armchair. Quatre sat himself on the small couch at Duo's welcome gesture.

"No. I went by and knocked on Trowa's door first, but he is a man of few words. Still cute, though." Quatre blushed slightly and Duo chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you can turn him around," Duo joked, "Anyone else?"

"Wufei answered his door briefly but told me he was meditating and did not wish to be disturbed. Heero, well, he didn't answer his door." Quatre looked puzzled.

"Saved the best for last, eh?" Duo asked, folding his long legs under him.

"I guess you could say that. At least you are holding a conversation with me," Quatre laughed lightly.

"So, what do you think about the Princess?" Duo asked, toying with a loose thread on his shirt.

"She's a beautiful girl. From what I understand she will also make a good ruler. She sure looked interested in Heero."

Duo arched an eyebrow in response. "Really?"

"She was looking at him intently during the introduction. Well, I guess I had better get back to my room. If I am right then they should be fetching us for dinner pretty soon. It was nice to meet you Duo." Quatre shook hands with the Guardian and walked to the door. Duo let him out and then closed the door behind him.

&&&

Quatre had been a strange case before he was selected as a Guardian. His mother had been the Lady of their village until she had died while giving birth to Quatre. His father had passed on command to his eldest daughter, Lady Iria after the unfortunate death. Quatre was the only boy amongst a gaggle of daughters, but he never lacked for love or attention.

Emir changed after the death of Lady Tatiana. Before her death he had loved and supported each of his children in all their endeavors. Quatre had always been interested in serving as a Guardian. It was an opportunity to help the Realm after all. But after Tatiana's death Emir had become very protective of Quatre. He allowed the child to continue his studies but was adamant that the Priests would not take Quatre away when it came time.

Quatre had been eager to approach the altar when it came time. He had been overjoyed even as he had felt the mark go through him.

Emir begged for them not to take Quatre. They told Emir that he had until morning to bring Quatre back with his bags.

_"Pack your things, Quatre," Emir told Quatre as he fetched a suitcase from under the bed._

_"Father, what is going on?" Quatre asked, alarmed._

_"We are leaving, now. They are not taking you from me," Emir said vehemently. Quatre shook his head. He did not wish to go. He wanted to do his duty and be a Guardian. He wished to help protect the Princess Relena._

_"Father, I want to do my duty!" Quatre argued. Emir looked at him disdainfully._

_"You are my son. I wish for you to remain with the family and fulfill your duty to us. You are my only male heir, and I wish for you to do right by me, not by the Princess," Emir finished packing for Quatre while the boy stood still in shock, "I am going to go pack for myself. Do not leave this room!"_

_Emir walked away and Quatre looked at his suitcase. He looked at the clock on the wall and noted that the Priests would not have left for the night yet. His mind made up, Quatre grabbed his suitcase and ran. He ran as fast as he could until he reached the altar. A Priest saw him and bade a Goodman to fetch some water._

_"What is your name?" the Priest asked._

_"I am Quatre. I am the Guardian of Spirit. My father tried to take me away. Please, I just want to do my duty and serve the Princess!" Quatre hoped the man could help him. He was large and imposing to Quatre's ten-year-old mind._

_"My name is Priest Rashid. I am one of the men set to train the Guardian of Spirit. We must go quickly before your father comes for you. Even though he has no claim over you at this point I do not wish to cause any trouble," the man stood Quatre up and watched as Quatre collapsed again, "Guardian Quatre! Stand up. It is not right for you to be collapsed on the ground like this. Be proud of who you are."_

_Quatre struggled to stand. Once he did he followed Priest Rashid into an altar house. Once there they took the traveling slyph to the training house for the Guardian of Spirit._

_"Father, I hope you can forgive me someday. This was something only I could do," Quatre whispered as he stared out the window of the training house._

Quatre opened the door to his room and sat down once again. He had been very sociable when he was younger, and it was unusual to now be around so many people that had no urge to speak. Luckily he had found a fast friend in Duo, or else he was sure he would have gone mad.

Quatre had come to the conclusion that he needed to draw Trowa out of his shell. That one had a barrier up for some reason, and Quatre wanted to make sure that they all worked as a cohesive unit. Duo would go a long way towards getting the other three Guardians to talk. With a vivid personality like that he was sure to gather attention.

Duo was good looking too. It was a shame that Quatre found Trowa to be even more attractive or else they could have gotten along just fine in bed too.

&&&

Heero sat in his room polishing his guns. They all had swords too, but that had already been sharpened and polished twice and now sat inside its scabbard over against the wall.

He had heard Quatre knock and call for him earlier but had not been interested in answering his door. He had been trained in almost complete isolation. There was a reason that people said it was not safe to pay with fire. Associating with people was not something he was completely against; it was just not something he was used to.

Heero was capable of things that most people could never dream of. Most people would flee from him if they knew.

If he was ever to keep civil with these people then he needed to guard himself. He needed to maintain a distance and keep up the appearance that he was nothing more than a simple Guardian.

A knock on the door woke Heero from his reverie. He moved to the door, gun in hand and already burning with his power.

"Guardian Heero? I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, but it is time for everyone to go down for the evening meal. Is that acceptable?" The voice was a little old and rough. Heero assumed that it was the voice of the seneschal.

"I will be down in just a minute, thank you."

Heero put his handgun back in its case and closed his care kit. He threw his coat back on and strode out the door. Dinner was waiting.


	3. If It Be Your Will

Title: Quinque Elementum ch 2?

Author: WickedGame

Rating for this chapter: R or M

Notes: Chapter beta read by Adaina.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

_**Chapter Two – If It Be Your Will**_

The Terra Province is Southwest of Evernight City. Terra is the province of the Earth element: with rocky cliffs and deep forests, its people were trained in all kinds of combat and were masters at each of them. The people were filled with a sense of justice, and were sometimes arrogant. They were well grounded in reality however, and people found them a great voice of reason when there were disagreements to be had. It was there that a young woman and her husband by arranged marriage gave birth to a baby boy that they named Wufei. He was sober even as a baby.

"Wow, what a way to grow up!" Duo grinned, trying to put the Guardian of Earth at ease after he had told the beginning of his story.

"Your parents must have been very proud of you," Relena commented.

"I'm afraid not. They wished for me to be the heir of our family, and being a Guardian has not killed the chance but made it unlikely that I will be able to fulfill that role. A Guardian is a Guardian for life," Wufei said emphatically. It was clear he took his role seriously and Relena nodded as she realized she would need that.

"Trowa? You still haven't told us about where you've come from," Relena prompted. She watched as her Guardian of Air dabbed his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.

"I didn't grow up with my real parents. I grew up in a home with a girl I called my sister when we were younger. She and I were in a circus together. Most of the people from Sylphid are involved in music and arts in one way or another," Trowa offered. Relena waited for more and then sighed when she realized she had another non-talkative Guardian on her hands.

"Some of you look like you're heading for the death chambers. While this is not a happy-go-lucky assignment we can have some fun and get to know each other better. We will be tied to each other until the day we die, you know." Relena looked to her two ladies-in-waiting for confirmation and received curt nods in exchange. The Guardians had been surprised to see the two women at the dinner table, one on either side of their Princess. The Queen and her Prince took their dinner in a separate room in order to assure that their Princess had time to adjust to the unit that would become her family once the time came for them to pass on. The bonding process between all of them would be a vital tool for the future of the Realm.

Princess Relena had introduced her ladies-in-waiting as soon as the Guardians had come down for dinner. The girl that sat on her right was her first lady-in-waiting, Lady Dorothy. She had long, blonde hair that she always had down, the ends skirting her thighs. Her eyebrows were an unusual shape but it looked somewhat striking on her aristocratic face. Relena had explained that Dorothy was the niece by adoption of one of her uncles. Dorothy was wearing a sharp dinner suit made of sapphire blue silk that complimented her fair skin. She was inclined in the powers of water like Guardian Duo was, but her power was limited somewhat to simple manipulations as opposed to Duo's utter command of the element.

On Relena's left was her Priestess and lady-in-waiting, Meiran. Meiran had been her friend and companion since they were just toddlers waddling through the castle. Since then Meiran had grown to be very powerful in the ways of fire. She served Relena as best as she could and had been a devoted friend. She wore a loose pair of black pants and a loose white shirt while she left her feet bare and her hair in a loose tail at the base of her neck.

Princess Relena noted in passing that her Guardian of Earth kept giving Meiran casual glances. She hoped that despite Meiran's Salamandan heritage Wufei might be attracted to her. Meiran needed someone; anyone could see that.

"What about you, Heero? We have hardly heard of you and where you come from. How did your family react to the news that you would be serving as a Guardian?" Relena asked. She watched as the Guardian of fire contemplated her words silently before speaking.

"I did not know my mother or my father. The man who raised me was eager to see me go and was quite thrilled with the prospect of it all. He died shortly after I left for training." Heero wiped the corner of his mouth and sat back.

"What happened to him?" Duo asked somewhat softly. There was no pity in his voice, only concern for a fellow man.

Heero looked up a little coldly at Duo before answering. "A morpher killed him."

Relena gasped and her ladies looked equally shocked. Quatre looked almost as floored as Relena and two of her other Guardians looked like the news was at best mildly interesting. Duo, however, looked like he knew exactly what Heero was going through.

"I lost my family when I was young too," he explained to Heero. It was evident from his expression that he was not sure he believed the story about the phoenix, but he would also humor the seemingly moody Guardian of Fire.

Morphers were a type of creature that usually hid in the recesses of the mists that resided between territories. Those spaces were home to many a species that fed off the deepest darkness; the entities that fed off of more than food. You could go into those misty places, but without the proper protection you could fall victim to any one of those creatures. Morphers were such a creature. They looked like humans and talked like humans but they could shift their shape into any number of other creatures. It was said that morphers would suck out your soul through your mouth. It was as if kissing them would leave you helpless.

Relena felt the pain of her Fire Guardian. More than one of her court members had ventured into the mists and had fallen prey to the…things that resided there. No one had gone through there without protection and lived to tell the tale.

There were also other rumors. Rumors that some of the creatures there had…breeded with the females of the Realm. Relena shuddered and refused to believe that those rumors were true.

"Princess, are you well?" Dorothy asked as she reached for Relena's slim hand. Relena nodded briefly and cleared her throat.

"I'm fine Dorothy." Relena wanted to stay strong in front of these boys and in front of Dorothy.

Dorothy had only been her lady-in-waiting for two years now, and Relena found herself nursing a small crush on the blonde. She was past the point of not knowing what to do about it and had given up almost altogether, but she still found herself fantasizing over the body she had seen more than once. She had fantasized about that body as she touched herself at night and whispered Dorothy's name as she approached her small teenage orgasms.

Relena winced as she realized everyone was looking at her to lighten the mood.

"How does everyone like dinner?" she asked with a smile.

"Your chef obviously has talent," Quatre commented.

"Thank you, I'll tell her you said that," Relena smiled.

"So, we have three years until you take the throne Princess. What do we do until then?" Duo asked, twirling his fork.

"Well, there will of course be further training, and some schooling. We will spend a whole lot of time getting to know each other. We will take small trips and you will become acquainted very well with Evernight City. I thought we would start with a tour of the castle and grounds tomorrow, if that's okay with everyone?" She further suggested that they might all go see the horses before their hazy moon Oboroduki set and the deep darkness of Kagetsu covered the Realm.

"I think that's an excellent decision Princess. It would do us a lot of good to know the layout of this castle. We will be studying it from top to bottom every day until we know every way in and out of this place." Wufei said as he cast yet another glance at Meiran.

All of a sudden there was a ruckus, and Queen Amelia preceded Prince Gustaf into the large dining room.

"Guardians, Relena, please go directly upstairs and stay together in Relena's room until told otherwise," the Queen instructed. Meiran and Dorothy flanked Relena as Heero and Duo stood in front of her and the other three Guardians stood behind her. They formed a formidable block as they headed back up the stairs.

"If I could order you to cut your hair I would. Don't you realize that the enemy could grab hold of you with just that?" Heero asked quietly as they walked.

"Gee, love you too. Do you really want to talk about my hair when we're supposed to be concentrating wholly on the Princess?" Duo sneered as they cleared another corner.

Heero smirked but kept the pace anyway.

When they were safe as they could currently be inside Relena's suite they all took positions of relative power. Duo stood near the window with Trowa, Wufei stood near the walls and door, Quatre sat with the girls and Heero stood directly in front of the door, taking the first line of defense.

"Princess, do you have any idea as to what's going on?" Dorothy asked.

"Princess, I can maybe use your fire to scry your family if you wish," Meiran offered.

"No, that won't be necessary. We will just stay still until Mother and Father give the all clear," Relena insisted.

It was an hour, possibly longer, before the group could hear steps in the passageway.

"Wufei, would you please take a look?" Quatre asked cordially. Wufei nodded and placed his hands on the stone wall. With barely a whisper his body sank into the stone until only mere inches of him was still visible. Relena shuddered and the rest watched with some measure of amazement as Wufei came back into the room, whole and intact.

"It is your mother, Princess," he reported.

"Open the door please, Heero." Relena smoothed her hair and stood.

They all bowed as Queen Amelia entered the room.

"Mother, what is going on?" Relena asked.

"It was as we suspected; a death threat letter. It's the second one we have received since you were born," Amelia reported, "I can't say that I'm that surprised. You're one of the most powerful Princesses this Realm has seen in some time. One thing does concern me though. It seems that this letter and the one that we received when you were born dictated that the assassination would take place around the time of your coronation."

"Excuse me, but isn't the point of a death threat letter to let people know that their death is kinda imminent?" Duo asked politely. Amelia smiled at him.

"My, but I do love your hair. Women would kill for your hair. Yes, usually that is the case, but this letter almost seems like it's prophetic. Like it is a certainty that Relena will be killed on this day in particular." Amelia took a seat proffered by Priestess Meiran.

"Any sign of the courier?" Heero asked.

"No. We couldn't find him anywhere. Doesn't mean he's not here anyway. Our species powers could have lent him the ability to disappear, to flow into something else, to make us ignore his presence, or any such thing. Worse case scenario? That he was a Morpher out of the mists." Amelia shuddered and Heero's gaze grew slightly distressed.

"I don't think such a creature would be found here on the castle grounds." Trowa reasoned from the window.

"Well, my Guardians are investigating and we will see how they get on. For now Relena is to stay with her ladies and with all of you. Don't separate until I give you leave to, do you understand? I will send my Guardians in here to relieve you of duty so that you can prepare to spend the night in here. I hope you guys like sleepovers." Amelia left as quickly as she came and the other took turns glancing at each other.

"Well…uh…I just hope you don't snore!" Duo laughed, scratching the top of his head as he looked at Heero.

"Just shut up."

-Two Years and Eight and a Half Months Later-

"Hey 'Lena, you look great!" Duo said enthusiastically as Dorothy was pinning the Princess' hair for dinner.

"In about three months you will have to stop calling me 'Lena' and will have to start calling me 'Queen'," Relena teased. Duo had a nickname for just about everyone, starting from day one by calling Quatre 'Kat'. From there it had grown. Dorothy was 'Doro', Meiran was 'Mei', Wufei was 'Fei', Trowa was 'Tro', and Heero was 'Ro'. Not that all of them were as thrilled with having a nickname like Relena, no sir. Wufei was exasperated by it and Heero plain ignored it. Trowa seemed apathetic and Quatre was pleased. Dorothy was mildly irritated but Relena secretly loved being a part of Duo's little club of nicknames. He even called Amelia 'Amy' whenever she was out of earshot. That one made her snicker.

Tonight was her father's birthday. This would be the last big party before her coronation. They were all dressed very fine. Her Guardians had foregone their loose pants and long coats in favor of slick black suits. Duo's tie was the color of midnight, and his shirt was a light shade of blue. All of the others would be dressed similarly. Relena was wearing a deep green satin ballgown that left her shoulders bare and crossed her chest in a straight line.

"Princess, if I was straight I would definitely hit on you," Duo assured her. She laughed heartily.

"Well, if I was straight I would let you," she winked.

"Touche."

"Where's Heero?" Relena asked slyly. When the Guardians had been here about a year Duo had found a hidden stash of liquor and had confessed drunkenly to Relena that he had a crush on the Guardian of Fire. It had made her laugh to think of fire and water together. But she had to admit that not only were the two a formidable force but also they looked damned good when standing next to each other.

"I have no clue. Probably polishing his guns," Duo shrugged like he didn't care.

"Or polishing his knob," Relena snickered. Duo had a way of bringing out the worst in her it seemed.

"Princess!" Duo exclaimed, shocked. Then they both started to laugh.

They cut a well-dressed path through the castle on the way to the ballroom. The room was already buzzing with people but they all stopped to bow or curtsy before their Princess and future Queen. She nodded and rose to the dais, where her Guardians sat on either side of her and her ladies-in-waiting sat in front of her.

"Don't all of you look handsome? Duo, that blue is lovely on you," Amelia complimented. Duo thanked her and nodded at the Prince.

Dinner was served promptly and everyone partook of the roasted meats, steamed vegetables, fresh salads, and various other dishes that wafted through the hall. It was over all too soon and Amelia rose to get everyone's attention.

"It is time for the gifts!" she announced. Servants in livery brought in the gifts and Gustaf rubbed his hands together excitedly. Relena and her Guardians watched as he opened one gift after another. Soon Gustaf was coming to the end and there were only a small amount of envelopes left.

"Oh ho! A card with no name attached! I wonder who this is from?" Gustaf held the envelope in his hand and then broke the seal. He pulled out the parchment and then some dust made him sneeze.

It was like everything ran in slow motion. All the Guardians that belonged to her and her mother drew their guns and surrounded the royalty. Gustaf was collapsing and started to spasm. Foam came out his mouth and blood came out his nose. Amelia was shouting and crying, and people ran everywhere.

"Get the healer!" people were shouting. Relena was numb as she saw the light leave her father's eyes, and then she was being carried from the hall and back upstairs.

"Relena? Princess? Are you alert?" Heero was asking her as he lay her down on her bed.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Relena asked.

"I believe it's safe to say so." Trowa said softly.

Relena sobbed and was drawn into an embrace by Dorothy and Meiran. Her Guardians took up their posts and waited with baited breath for some news.

Their news came in the form of the Queen, who was let into the room by a cautious Heero.

"Pack your things Relena. All of you pack your things. You're going to the safehouse," Amelia insisted.

"What's going on?" Relena demanded to know.

"That letter was poisoned. The poison was meant for your father but the letter's contents were meant for me and you to see. It tells us that several attempts on your life will be made before the coronation. It gives neither times nor locations. The safehouse is our only option."

"How long?" Relena asked.

"You leave as soon as possible and you must stay until you can travel back for your birthday. You will take your Guardians and the ladies with you. I expect you to leave in the dead of night and come back much the same way." Amelia insisted. "Now pack!"

They all looked at one another and then started to move. If they needed to leave in less than two weeks then something needs to be done.

As the Lady and Lord will it…


End file.
